


Superpie

by consultingpiemaker



Category: Pushing Daisies, Supernatural
Genre: Multi
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-07-31
Updated: 2014-09-01
Packaged: 2017-12-22 00:54:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 14,363
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/906986
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/consultingpiemaker/pseuds/consultingpiemaker
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A ghost in Coeur d'Coeurs? Dean is really keen on checking it out but he is even keener on something else: the Pie Hole. When he and Sam go and get some pie, they meet a few lovely people, who happen to know more about the ghost incident. Together they decide to inspect the house and find something that neither of them expected.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> As a fan of both Pushing Daisies and Supernatural I asked myself how Dean would react if he would see the Pie Hole. Honestly, he would freak out and scream, wouldn't he? That's how I got the idea for a crossover, so I hope you like and enjoy it :)

_Saving people, hunting things, the family business._

Sam started to get tired of Dean reminding him over and over again why they were on a "road trip" (which now lasted for about four years). He wanted to go to law school and then help people in a way _normal_ people would do. _Not_ by dragging them out of a house which was haunted by a spirit, _not_ by pouring salt on the ground and drawing a pentagram on the floor, and most _definitely_ not by killing demons, shapeshifters, reapers, vampires, changelings and all the other spirits and hell creations.

"Sammy? Are you listening to me?"

"Sorry, Dean, I-" Sam shook his head to clear his mind. He was still exhausted, not having slept since the past morning. "I'm just tired, that's all."

Dean snorted scornfully. "You refused to sleep on our drive here, so don't be such a girl and stop complaining."

"I _would_ have slept if your oh-so-good driving style would've been a bit steadier yesterday. It was literally impossible to fall asleep, the way you raced down these crappy excuses of roads!"

"Oh don't cry me a river, Sam!" Dean threw an evil glance at him and put the newspaper he got from the receptionist of the motel forcefully down on the table. "If you would shut up you could've been sleeping already."

"I should shut up? It's not me who is talking non-stop, _Dean_!" At this point, Sam had sat up in the small bed he had thrown himself onto the second they got into the room. "I know that you are used to sleep only four hours a day, but I _need_ at least six hours to recover from one of our hunts!"

"Whatever," Dean mumbled, grabbed the newspaper again and continued reading. He wasn't tired at all, he didn't even have a headache or something else that would indicate what he had done the night before.

Sam leaned back and covered himself up. He still had his clothes on, only having thrown his shoes somewhere before falling on the squeaking mattress. This was also something he missed a lot: having a decent bed and his own bedding that wasn't faded and made him think of all the other people who have slept under the same covers. Not really having another option to let out his anger and discontent, he squeezed his eyes shut and groaned, "Jerk."

"Bitch."

* * * * * *

_Making pies and wake the dead._

Just like on every other morning, Ned got up at half past eight to make sure that he would be in the Pie Hole one hour later. Before that, he waited for Chuck at her door and couldn't help but smile when she opened the door, her eyes widening when she saw Ned.

"Good morning, neighbor," she said with a soft voice and made a curtsey in a beautiful red dress that ended above her knees.

"Good morning, neighbor," Ned repeated and interlaced his fingers behind his back. It was one of his many precautions to not step forward and take Chuck into his arms, because that's what he wanted to do every single morning when he saw her. "Ready?"

"You know my answer," Chuck replied and then walked next to Ned towards the stairs.

"You smell different today," Ned said casually after a while and took out the keys to open the door of the Pie Hole. He noticed Chuck's slightly confused look and immediately added, "I don't mean it in a bad way. It's just that a new scent joined the other ones, and it's honey. Did you visit your bees yesterday?"

"I did," Chuck answered and nodded.

"That's sweet." Ned smiled and again had to suppress the urge to hug Chuck and take in the scent of her hair. "Literally." He heard Chuck laugh when she went into the kitchen to heat up the oven.

* * * * * *

It didn't take long until the room was filled with snores and the even breaths by Sam. Dean didn't mind, in fact he was glad that Sam finally got some rest. Whether someone was being possessed by a demon or about to be killed by any other spirit, he was never as concerned as he constantly was about his brother. Even after the last night and their not so small fight in the car, Dean was relieved when they got to stop at a motel.

Although he would never admit it, Dean cared about Sam's health more than about his own. He always ignored Sam's demands that he should get more sleep. Four hours were totally fine with him, he got used to them by now. But of course the lack of a normal and peaceful sleep was something that was gnawing inside of him, making him feel less powerfull.

But no, Dean didn't change anything about it and he didn't have the intention to do so in any near future. Four hours to sleep and enough to eat, that's what his father said was all he needed as a hunter. To be honest, Dean was sure that he wouldn't even be able to get used to a normal sleeping and eating schedule ever again. And of course he didn't have to. He has been living the life of a hunter since he was four, "watching out for Sammy", and he intended to be a hunter his whole life.

There were always supernatural spirits to protect people (but most importantly Sammy) from.

* * * * * *

"Good morning, you two!" Olive's high voice resounded in the Pie Hole. Ned stood behind the counter and greeted her with a warm smile.

"Good morning, Olive," he replied and grabbed his apron that was always waiting for him behind the counter. As always, Olive went over to the coffee machine and took a cup from the shelf to make herself a morning coffee.

Ned put his apron on, wrapping the bands around his waist and then tieing them into a knot at the front. Taking a look at all the pies on the etagere, he got this fluttery feeling in his stomach that he always had when he looked at pie. And as ridiculous and weird as this may sound, it made him so _damn_ happy that he had made his dream come true by opening the Pie Hole. He could do what he loved every single day: baking pie.

Pies have always made him smile, at every time, every place and with every flavor. Ned remembered something he had read some time ago: Find a job that you love and you never have to work again. And in that case, Ned never saw the Pie Hole as his work place, but more as his home. What he did since he knew Emerson was more what he considered to be his job. Admittedly, he didn't really like it to touch dead people. Over the years, he still couldn't bear the look in their eyes when they ask totally confused, "Am I dead?"

But still, Ned never thought about quitting this job. He always cheered himself up by repeating to himself that he _helped_ people this way. The people could tell about their lives, their loves and – most importantly – their thoughts on who had a reason to kill them. All in 60 seconds.

Taking his mind off this, Ned looked at his watch and saw that it was just before 9: time to open the Pie Hole!

* * * * * *

"Rise and shine, Sammy!"

Sam opened his eyes and closed them again when the bright light hit him. He raised his arm to cover his eyes and turned around to see Dean packing his bag. "I told you not t-"

"Not to say that ever again, I know," Dean concluded and nodded, "because it reminds you of your favorite day of the week." He grinned and ignored the sharp inhale that came from his brother.

"Dean," Sam just grunted and threw the covers away, swinging his legs off the bed and ruffling through his hair to straighten it a bit. "I don't want to get into a fight about this _again_ , so please," (he made a meaningful pause in which he rested his hands on his temples) "please stop it. It might not bother _you_ , but we've talked about this, _I_ have worse memories of that stupid time."

"Guess the sleep didn't help lifting up your mood." Luckily, Sam didn't see Dean rolling his eyes.

"Shut up."

Dean closed the bag and shouldered it, earning a confused glance from Sam. "We've gotta leave."

"Why?" Instead of answering, Dean grabbed the paper from the desk and threw it to Sam. He liked it when he let Sam figure out by himself what they had to do. Sam took the paper and began reading, the look on his face getting more and more confused. "I don't get it, is that dog a hellhound or what are you trying to tell me?"

"Page 5 at the bottom," Dean said as he placed the bag next to the door. He listened to Sam turning over the rustling pages. For a while, his brother just sat there and read the article in silence. "So?" Dean asked when Sam put the paper away and reached for his shoes instead.

"Dean," Sam started and lowered his voice. "You can't be serious about that, right? Ghosts in Papen County?" Dean raised his eyebrows, shrugged and grabbed the keys without further words.

* * * * * *

Not ten minutes have passed when the bell at the door rang. The first customer! Ned was already standing in the kitchen, so Olive grabbed the can of coffee and put on her brightest smile – but then she saw that it was Emerson.

"Ned? Serve your customer!" she called when she turned around again and placed herself behind the counter.

"Emerson?!" Ned peeked around the corner and cleaned his hands, which were already full of flour, with a towel. " _This_ early?" Olive just shrugged and took the paper in front of her, scanning the headlines and photos. She had accepted by now to not feel left out whenever Emerson Cod walked into the Pie Hole to talk to Ned. And sometimes Chuck, which was actually the part that upset her the most. Why is it that she always was being left out?

Ned had already sat down on the other side of the table Emerson sat at. "What is it this time?"

"Your beautiful girlfriend," the way he said it and grimaced didn't leave any misunderstanding that he meant it sarcastically, "and her just as beautiful father, _that's_ what is!"

Not understanding a single word that Emerson said, Ned frowned and tilted his head. "You have to be a little bit more specific."

"Charles Charles has been sighted!" He hissed the 's' to show his anger and then placed the paper in front of Ned on the table.

" _'Just in time: Dog rescued from a burning house-'_ " Ned started but was interrupted by Emerson flipping the pages to page 5. He pointed at a small article at the bottom left. " _'Creepy: Are ghosts real?'_ Emerson..." Ned said and frowned again. "What the-"

"Read!" Emerson ordered through gritted teeth.

" _'On Sunday the 12th in Coeur d'Coeurs, the sisters Lily and Vivian Charles-_ " (Ned gulped and opened his eyes in shock when he read those names) " _and neighbours saw something unnatural happen in the house on the other side of the street: there seemed to be someone in there.'_ What?! _'Why is this spooky? Well, the house has been uninhabited for 21 years, when the family living there moved out. The house has been for sale ever since, but there was never a prospective customer.'_ " Ned stopped and put the paper down. He noticed that his heart has picked up speed and that he had difficulty breathing. "Do you think this was Charles?" he asked and couldn't keep still, moving back and forth on his seat. "But he took my car and disappeared, no one knows where he is! So why should he still return to that house?" Ned had almost referred to 'that house' as 'my home', but he stopped himself before he would sadden himself.

"I don't know, that's why I'm here." Emerson still looked very angry, his clenched fists on the table. "You promised to make sure that the stupid mistake Chuck had made that night at the cemetery wouldn't have any affect on the future. And now the worst thing has happened: Someone saw one of the awakened dead, and now we're all in trouble!" He let out his frustration by bashing the table. "And my money, too!" he muttered under his breath.

"That's the only thing you can ever think about, isn't it?"

"It's my destiny."

* * * * * *

Sam and Dean were now driving for two hours straight without any of them saying a word. A few minutes ago they had passed the sign that indicated that they were now in Papen County.

Sam sighed and broke the silence. "And you think that ghost thing is really our business?"

"Yup," Dean answered brusquely.

"You sure?"

"Yup."

Sam took the newspaper from Dean's bag from the back seat and read the article again. He shook his head as he did so, totally sure that this was just a story for a small town to entertain the citizens when they sit at their breakfast table in the morning. Although he could complain that they were just wasting their time, Sam kept his mouth shut and just let Dean drive. He would agree to take a look at the house, but that's it.

"Why are you doing this, Dean?" Didn't Sam just tell himself that he would keep his mouth shut? Well...

"Why am I doing what?"

"Are ghosts real? I mean-" It just bothered Sam, and he threw the newspaper back into the back seat. "You are a serious hunter, Dean, and now you're interested in a story like that? Like- what the hell, man? Are you nuts or what is wrong with you?"

"There's nothing wrong with me, Sam," Dean replied with a monotonous voice. "I just want to check out that house, nothing else."

"Those were probably just some kids who played a trick on their neighbors."

"And even if that's the case I still want to go there."

Sam turned around to look at his brother who was driving with his left hand on the wheel and the right hand rested on his leg. He eyed him suspiciously and tried to find out what was going through his mind. "Dean, is there a reason why you're behaving like that?" Dean pursed his lips and it looked like he wanted to say something but decided against it. "Oh come on, man."

"Can we talk about that later?" Dean asked, and it actually was a real question and not a demand put into a question.

Sam nodded. "Yeah of course we can." He felt relief when Dean has asked that and he couldn't help but smile. As a matter of fact, he didn't like it when he and Dean were fighting, even if that's what brothers do, that's why he looked forward to talking with Dean. Feeling better and happier, he looked out of the window to take a look at all the buildings and the people outside, but then he was surprised by a sudden turn the Impala made. "What are you doing?"

"Parking the car, smarty-pants?" Dean replied and brought the car to a stand still on a small parking lot. In front of them was a sign that said "Sweet Dreams Motel" and behind it a small friendly looking building.

"But we still have more than 100 miles ahead of us to get to Coeur d'Coeurs, Dean!"

"I know, but I'm currently not in the mood to drive, so," Dean answered and turned the key around, the engine falling silent. "Let's just have a rest for a day here and tomorrow we're gonna drive to that Coeur city."

Sam didn't understand Dean's sudden mood change – he loves nothing more than driving his beloved baby. With a questioning look on his face he looked at his brother and was about to open his mouth when he was interrupted.

"Later, I need something to eat now," Dean said, opened the door and got out of the car. "You hungry?"

Sam shrugged after leaving the car as well. "Not really, but before you're starving..."

"I'm suddenly in a pie mood."

"At ten in the morning?"

Instead of answering, Dean pointed at a building behind Sam. When Sam turned around, he had to laugh out loud. "Now that's one hell of a pie!" he said and could hear Dean laugh as well, finally.

* * * * * *

"Chuck?"

"Yes?"

"Can you come here, please?" Ned asked while he was still staring at the article in the papers. Normally he would have stood up and went into the kitchen to get Chuck, but the news had an adverse effect on his mood. He wouldn't be able to stand at that moment, his legs were shaking already when he was just sitting.

A few seconds later Chuck sat down next to Emerson and put her hands on the table. "What is it? A new murder we have to help you with?" she asked and looked at Emerson.

"No," Ned and Emerson said simultaneously.

"Oh, okay." That surprised Chuck. Then why would Emerson be here? He only ever stopped by when he needed help.

"Chuck, do you know where your father is?" Ned frowned, already knowing the answer, but he just wanted to make sure.

"No, I don't. I haven't seen him since he drove off with your car," Chuck answered and tilted her head. "Why are you asking? This was almost six months ago."

Emerson coughed slightly. "Because we have reason to believe that he is back."

"What do you mean – _back_?"

" _Back_ back, back in town, back at home, well, at _Ned's_ home, but anyways-" Emerson took a deep breath before he went on, "your aunts saw him."

Chuck's mouth fell open, she couldn't believe what she was hearing. "What?!"

Ned looked at Chuck and felt a sudden pain in his heart when he saw how shocked she was. All the memories came back from six months ago when Chuck was so upset about her father leaving that she didn't smile for several days, and Ned felt helpless. Chuck has always loved her father and she couldn't forgive him for his leaving. And now he was back? What was Ned supposed to do?

* * * * * *

It was a dream coming true for Dean: a giant pie house. It was right in front of an apartment block, and it's roof was the top of an apple pie with a neon sign " _The Pie Hole_ " on it. The windows were round and the walls painted in a lovely green – normally _so_ not Dean's taste. "I want to live in there."

"Sure you do." Sam rolled his eyes and sighed.

"No really." Dean's eyes were glued to the roof as if he was in trance. "If their pies are just as delicious as that damn roof looks, then I'm in heaven."

Sam suppressed a snorting laughter as he put his hand on Dean's back and forced him to keep moving. He opened the door and followed Dean into the shop, the smell of freshly baked pie welcoming them. "I _am_ in heaven," Dean whispered as he and Sam sat down at a desk in front of a window.

Only seconds later a woman with blonde hair and an orange striped dress was standing in front of their table. "Welcome to this lovely place where every pie should be considered illegal because of the delicious taste," the waitress said and smiled alternally at Sam and Dean. Her voice was higher than any of the brothers had expected, but her smile was just so sweet that they both had to smile back at her. "You two look like you could do with a piece of pie."

"That's why we're here!" Dean replied and tilted his head. He spotted the pies on the etagere in the background and his mouth started to get watery immediately.

"So, what are you two craving for?"

"I would die for some apple pie with a scoop of vanilla ice cream." Dean swore that he heard his stomach growl as he said that. It's been too long that he had a decent piece of pie.

"And I just want something with berries," Sam said, earning a confused glance from Dean. Didn't he say he wasn't hungry? But Dean couldn't blame him, _everyone_ would fall for the delicious smell of the pies in the Pie Hole.

"With cream or ice cream?"

"Ice cream please."

"Okay!" The waitress didn't leave right away, she just took in the sight of the smiling brothers for a few more seconds. They just looked so happy, she wanted to pinch their cheeks. Then she went to the kitchen and got the orders ready, carefully putting ice cream on top. When she got out of the kitchen again, she noticed how deep in conversation Ned, Emerson, and Chuck were, and the pain in her heart only went away when she put the plates in front of the two men and saw their bright smiles. Their eyes started to glisten when they grabbed the small forks and started to eat. Yes, Olive loved working in the Pie Hole.

"Man, this is delicious as hell!" Dean said and Sam could hardly understand him since his mouth was full of pie. But _man_ , it really was delicious as hell, and Dean didn't even flinch at that phrase.

* * * * * *

"I can't believe it!" Chuck said after a while and shook her head. "Why would my father ever risk being seen? I've talked with him about this and he _promised_ me that he would stay away from other people, and especially from my aunts!"

Ned couldn't bare seeing Chuck like this, taken by surprise and deceived by the actions of her father. "Chuck, I'm sure that your father has a reason to come back." With that he didn't just want to persuade Chuck but also himself.

"I certainly hope so! But I can't understand why he didn't visit me or just stopped by when he decided to come back from wherever he was. I mean, why is he hiding in your old house?"

"Because he's stupid?"

"Emerson!"

"What? It's the truth!" Emerson darted an evil glance at Ned who looked at him with a gaping mouth. "I'm sorry, but we wouldn't need to have this conversation if one little girl wouldn't have been so stupid a few months ago!"

"Hey!"

"Don't 'hey!' me, Chuck, this is all just because of you. You are the reason your father is alive – again! – and you're probably also the reason why he is back at home!"

"He's not exactly home, he is at Ned's!" Chuck corrected him.

"That's not true either, he is at my _old_ home," Ned double-corrected with a blank stare at his hands.

"But that doesn't change the fact that he's back and lives the life of a ghost in your lovely hometown Coeur d'Coeurs!" Emerson had let out his anger and again bashed the table. His loud voice and the bang made the two men who were sitting at the table next to them turn around and look at them in wonder.

"Emerson, be quiet," Ned demanded and gave the two men an apologizing look. It was not the first time that customers were disturbed by one of Emerson outbursts. And also it didn't suit the quiet and homey atmosphere in the Pie Hole which Ned was so proud of.

"I _will_ be quiet when we have decided what we're gonna do about her father," Emerson snarled and looked at Ned as he pointed with his head at Chuck beside him.

Ned shrugged and then put his head on the table on his hands. He had never liked the feeling he had when he didn't know what to do. It just made him feel helpless and hopeless, and it upset him. The smile that was on his face that morning was definitely gone for now.

"Excuse us," a voice suddenly appeared, "but we heard you mentioning the ghost incident in Coeur d'Coeurs." Ned raised his head and blinked when he saw the two men standing in front of their table.

"That's none of your business, boys," Emerson retorted and pointed at the table they had just gotten up from. "Go back to eating your pie, kids."

The shorter of the two men (although the word short usually didn't appear in a sentence regarding the two men) turned around to the other one and flashed a smile. He shook his head and looked at the ground, laughing to himself. "I think that's _exactly_ our business. You see, me and my brother, we have this _job_ , and this ghost thing is-"

"Are you ghostbusters?"

"No, we're not." The taller man shook his head at Emerson's remark. But before he went on, he turned around to his brother as if to ask for his agreement about something. And when he got a nod, he finally went on and took something out of his pocket. "Private detectives, we're actually here to look for information."

"You know, the incident in Coeur d'Coeurs is really serious," the other one added, "and all of the people and neighbors are in danger."

Ned, Emerson, and Chuck had raised their eyebrows in surprise. "Private detectives?"

"Hm-hm."

Emerson rolled with his eyes. "Yeah, sure. Why don't you two just shut your mouths and leave this place and us adults alone-"

"Emerson!" Ned shouted out.

"What? I know a private detective when I see one. And these two? Please, they are as far away from private detectives as you can be!" The two men have gotten real quiet, and they put their IDs back into their pockets. Then Emerson addressed them again. "So, now I'm really curios _why_ you're so interested in this story."

"Alright," the blond one said, raising his hands in a defensive manner. "We're no private detectives, we're just two brothers who are really into ghosts. Isn't that right, Sam?" The other one – Sam – nodded and even put on an awkward smile. Chuck and Ned smiled back at them, whereas Emerson still frowned.

"We actually thought about stopping by at that house later this afternoon," Ned began.

With a sharp inhale, Emerson turned around to him. "Are you kidding me? One, we didn't even talk about going to your house. Two, who says we would take these losers with us?"

"Excuse me?!" The one man cleared his throat.

"You didn't catch that? Should I repeat it?"

"No, Emerson, stop!" Ned said and shook his head. "Stop insulting them or I may have to ask you to leave." Honestly, Ned didn't know what was up with Emerson. Sure, he definitely was not the friendliness in person, but nor was he such an unfair person.

"Dean, maybe we should leave," Sam suggested quietly and put his hand on Dean's elbow to pull him away.

That's when Chuck stood up. "Please stay. Dean and Sam it is, right?" The two men nodded. "We would really like it if you accompany us on our trip to Coeur d'Coeurs if you want to."

"Thank you," Dean replied. "When did you plan to go?"

"At 6?" Ned suggested. "We could close the Pie Hole an hour earlier today, so it won't get too late."

"Alright, we'll come here then," Sam said and nodded. "Thanks." He and Dean turned around to leave and they were just about to open the door when Ned called something after them.

"Oh, one last thing, you two. Do you maybe have a car we could take?"

Even the stars don't shine brighter than Dean's eyes did at this very moment.

* * * * * *

"Oh my god. Oooh my goood, Sammy, look at this!" Dean had opened the door to their room and made a disgusted face as he walked in.

"These are just colors, Dean, they don't harm you." Sam looked around the colorful painted and decorated room, not really liking it either.

"Oh yeah? But I can feel my eyes burning!"

"Don't be such a girl, Dean. Our life could use a little more color."

"Just saying. And now I know why I've never been here before, and why I will _never_ come back here again." Saying this, Dean threw his bag on one of the two beds with flowers on the covers. He looked at his watch and groaned when he saw that they had about six hours to kill.

"What?" Sam asked, confused.

"Spending six hours in this room? Kill me, Sammy!"

"No one's forcing you to stay here, Dean." But Dean just grunted and sat down on a red armchair. At least it was comfier than the majority of rooms they had in the last past years.

"And you're still sure that this is something for us, right?" Sam asked as he unpacked some of his stuff and threw it on the bed.

"Stop asking me that, Sammy, or I might punch you in the face." Sam just laughed and threw a pillow into Dean's direction. A yelp indicated that he had successfully hit his brother.

But anyways (and most importantly to Dean's liking), the time seemed to fly, and before they both knew it, it was already half past five. They put on their jackets and went to the Impala, driving back to the Pie Hole and parking in front of it.

"I wouldn't say no to a pie," Dean mumbled as he and Sam got out of the car and entered the shop.

"You want pie at the most unusual times of day, Dean," Sam stated and sighed. After all, they've been to a restaurant at around two, and Dean had eaten three burgers.

"There you are already!" someone said from the kitchen and seconds later Ned approached them with a smile on his lips. "Sam, Dean, nice to see you two again."

"You, too, uh-" Sam replied, stopping when he noticed that they didn't know his name.

"Ned," Ned said and started to untie the bands of his apron. "Emerson should be here any minute, so we can start soon."

"We have time," Dean said and let his gaze wander over the pies, just like he had a few hours ago. "Time for pie," he mumbled and licked his lips.

"Dean," Sam whispered warningly and elbowed him. Sometimes it embarrasses him to be Dean's brother. Then the bell at the door rang and Emerson entered the Pie Hole.

"I still can't believe we're taking them with us," he whispered to himself when he saw Dean and Sam looking at him.

"Emerson, just in time," Ned said and put his apron behind the counter where Olive was standing, watching his movement. "Olive?" Ned suddenly asked, waking Olive from one of her daydreams. She raised her head and looked at him questioningly. "Could you please lock the door when you leave?"

"Of course, Ned," she said and hoped that he won't hear the hurt in her voice. Again the three of them were going on an adventure (if only Olive knew what they were really up to), and again without her. But she was sure that her day would come, so she didn't complain. Also she didn't want to disappoint Ned.

"Thanks." Ned smiled at her, and Olive hated him for doing that, for she fell over and over in love with him again when he smiled at her like that.

"No problem," she mumbled and quickly went into the kitchen to hide her blush.

"Alright, let's hit the road! Chuck?"

"Coming!" Seconds later she stood beside Ned and was ready to go.

When they went outside to the car, Emerson couldn't help but give a snarky remark at the Impala. "Want to impress someone with this car?" (To be honest, he was really jealous.)

"Always," Dean answered and got into the car, Sam sitting down on the passenger seat. Chuck made a squealing sound when she got into the back seat and sat down behind Dean, Emerson in the middle and Ned behind Sam.

"This is gonna be a looong ride," Emerson put his fate into words and sighed, pitying himself.

"Not when I'm the driver." And with that Dean started the engine and the journey began.

Nobody really knew what to talk about, so silence dominated the first ten minutes of the ride. But then a thought struck Sam, and he cleared his throat before addressing the three sitting in the backseat. "Why do you even want to check out the house?"

"We've seen the article," Ned answered.

"And the two sisters that were mentioned in the article are my aunts," Chuck added, kind of proud as she said it.

"Ah, I see," Sam said and nodded, "so, do you maybe know the family that used to live in that house?"

"Yes, I do." Chuck bent forward to look at Ned, and Ned did the same, so they both just sat there smiling at each other and made Emerson roll his eyes.

"Could anyone of that family be the ghost?" Sam hesitated a bit before he said _ghost_.

"No, but we might know who it was," Chuck replied and leaned back again, Ned doing the same. "We think it's my dad."

"Your dad?" Dean asked.

"My dad," Chuck repeated.

"Why would your father be in that vacant house?"

"That's what we'd like to find out."

* * * * * *

Dean was true to his words (about the ride not taking long when he's the driver), and little more than half an hour later the Impala turned into the street that Ned and Chuck had ran up and down so many times together as children.

"Over there," Ned said and pointed at a house which was covered by plants and hidden behind several trees. Dean parked the Impala in front of it and stopped the engine.

"We would like to talk to Vivian and Lily for a second, if you don't mind," Sam said and opened the door to get out of the car. Dean got the keys and followed him outside.

Ned looked at Chuck before getting out as well. "But why?"

"Newspapers don't always tell the truth, baker boy, so we like to ask them about what they saw," Dean explained mockingly. Chuck was standing next to Ned and couldn't help but laugh at Dean's nickname for him.

"We sure as hell won't bother them now, we're here to inspect the house!" Emerson hated Ned for taking the two men with them, it would have been so much easier and less problematic without them.

"It won't take more than five minutes," Sam said reproachfully. "You can wait here if you don't want to join us."

"I won't let you two out of sight, I'm coming with you."

"I'll wait in the car if you don't mind," Chuck said after a while and opened the door to the backseats.

Ned tilted his head and looked at her sympathetically. "Should I stay with you?"

"No, no. Go," Chuck said and waved after Emerson, Dean, and Sam, who were already crossing the street.

"I'm really sorry, Chuck. But we'll be right back," Ned said before he ran after the three men. They had already rung the bell when he reached them. Only a few seconds later the door opened.

"Good evening, ladies," Dean began and put on his friendliest smile for the women standing behind the door. Lily could hardly contain herself not to smash the door shut in front of them, already annoyed simply by the face of the man.

But then Vivian recognized Ned. "Ned! What are you doing here?" she asked and beamed with joy as he smiled shyly.

"We read the article in the papers and we're here to ask you some questions."

"Sure, why don't you come in?"

"Thank you." So Ned, Emerson, Sam and Dean followed Vivian and an in annoyance moaning Lily into the living room where they sat down on the couches.

"What do you want to know?"

Dean cleared his throat. "First we want to know what you saw that night?"

"Well, I don't remember exactly, but at one point I saw something moving in that house. There was someone behind the windows, but it was nothing more than a shadow," Vivian explained but was suddenly cut off by her sister.

"Stop it, Vivian, they are just here to make fun of us. They don't believe a single word that you say!"

"Oh, we do, ma'am, we do!" Sam corrected her. "Please go on, Lily." But Vivian's remark had an adverse effect on Lily's confidence and suddenly she didn't feel like going on anymore.

"Lily?" Dean asked carefully, trying not to annoy Vivian more. "We really need to know everything you saw that night."

"I'm afraid there's nothing more I could tell you," Lily said appologetically. "That's all I saw."

"Miss Vivian, are you sure that there was someone in the house?" Emerson asked and got a nod as an answer. "And some of your neighbors saw that person, too?" Again a nod. "And you didn't happen to recognize that person?"

Ned stepped on Emerson's foot and gave him a dig with the elbow. This was going alarmingly too far for his liking. "Thank you for your time, we really appreciate it, but we now know everything we wanted to know, right?" He turned to Sam and Dean, and they both just nodded back at him.

"Yes, we do," Sam said as he and Dean stood up from the couch at the same time.

"Thank you, you were very kind to us," Dean agreed and smiled. He just wanted to leave this house, Lily was giving him the creeps with her evil glance. Although she wore an eyepatch, he swore that no one had ever looked at him with more hatred before, and he was totally sure that she would haunt him in his dreams.

"Thank you for visiting us, and thank you for the pie, Ned, we're always looking forward to them," Vivian said as she opened the front door for them.

"Don't mention it." Ned tried to hide his blush, and thanks to the darkness outside no one noticed his red cheeks.

"You can visit us anytime, and you two," Vivian said and smiled at Sam and Dean. "I have nothing against handsome men in my living room."

Dean and Sam laughed, they were both feeling flattered. "At least now we know why your niece is such a lovely woman."

"You knew Chuck?" Lily had approached the door behind Vivian. Both Sam and Dean noticed the use of the word _knew_ but payed it no mind.

"Of course we know her, how can we not? She is the baker boy's girlfriend after all!" Dean slapped Ned on the back, and only then Ned and Emerson noticed the mistake they've made this whole time.

"She was, when they both were kids. And that makes it even worse, because you two would've been beautiful together now, Ned," Vivian said with pure love in her eyes. But Ned had opened his eyes in shock and was unable to say something. Sam and Dean had no clue of what was going on, they didn't know that Chuck was dead in Lily and Vivian's eyes. And stating by the confused looks on their faces, they were about to ask more questions.

But before Sam and Dean could even open their mouths, Emerson grabbed the brothers by their arms and dragged them down the front porch. "We need to go now," he said, more as a demand for them than for the sisters.

"Thank you again," Ned said and flashed them the warmest smile he could put on in that moment, and then he followed the other three back to the car.

* * * * * *

Chuck was already waiting for them and was leaning against the car. "How did it go?" she asked and looked a little puzzled when Emerson shoved Dean and Sam in front of him, mumbling something like "That was damn close!" to himself.

But Ned didn't want Chuck to worry. "It went as planned. Vivian just told us what she saw and she is quite sure that it really was a person she saw behind the windows." At that, Chuck turned around and looked up to the windows. "Chuck-"

"I don't know if I'm ready to see him again, Ned," Chuck mumbled, watching the windows in case she saw anything moving inside the house.

"Chuck, if you don't want to, you can still wait in the car. I would wait with you, if you want."

"No, Ned." Chuck shook her head and then looked at Ned. "I need to find out why he's here."

"Okay." Ned smiled and tried to cheer her up with it, but he knew that Chuck needed a hug as badly as he wanted to hug her. And Chuck saw it in his eyes, his longing, mixed with pity. She smiled back at him, thankful for his sympathy and concern. And before she knew it she had grabbed Sam by his hand and had wrapped her arms around him, resting her head on his chest. Taken by surprise, Sam first didn't do anything, but then he put his arms around Chuck and started to caress her back. It wasn't the first time that he had to comfort someone.

But as long as the hug lasted, Chuck didn't avert her gaze from Ned who was still smiling warmingly at her. After ten seconds Dean cleared his throat and raised his eyebrows. "I don't know what's happening, but I for one am ready to meet the ghost." Chuck finally let go off Sam and for a moment they stood there awkwardly, neither of them knowing what to say. So Chuck just smiled at him and said "I'm afraid of ghosts." before she stood right beside Ned.

"Let's find out why Charles is haunting this place," Emerson said and lead the small group to the front door. He opened it with a squeak and got a flashlight out of his pocket. The small lightcircle was slowly wandering through the corridor.

For Ned it was very odd to return to his old home. He had last been here on Halloween and now his mind was flooded with memories of his childhood again, and he suddenly felt like throwing up, but that was just the stench that was in the air. "Do you smell that?" he asked and covered his nose with his sleeve.

"Sulphur?" Dean asked immediately, his heartbeat picking up speed as he thought about demons who could be in the house.

But Sam shook his head. "It's not sulphur," he replied and wrinkled his nose. "It's just that no one's been in here for years, and you can smell that."

"Smells like death to me," Emerson said casually as he lightened up the stairs in front of them. "Do you think he's upstairs?"

"Let's find out," Ned replied and followed Emerson. Dean and Sam waited for Chuck to go next and then they went up the stairs as well, trying not to make a sound.

Everything was quiet and Sam and Dean were starting to think that something was happening in this house. Over all those years they had started to get the same feeling when something supernatural was close, and at that very moment their alarm bells were ringing. Sam couldn't believe that Dean would've been right this whole time about the ghost thing.

"Shhh!" Emerson put his finger up to his mouth and turned around to make everyone stop in their movements as they entered Ned's old bedroom. He had heard a noise from inside and was now slowly turning the doorknob. Everyone was holding their breath, anxiously staring at the door.

It felt like an eternity until Emerson had opened the door and pushed it open. Dustclouds and spiderwebs were flowing their way, and they didn't see the person standing in the corner straightaway. But when Emerson raised the flashlight, everyone started to scream.

In the corner stood a man with a hat and shabby old clothes. Ned and Chuck opened their eyes in shock when they noticed that it wasn't Charles.

"Hello, boy," the man said, and a smile was playing around his lips.

Ned just stared at him and shook his head, not believing his eyes. "Dad?"


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> What? Ned's father is back? Of course Ned has a lot of questions, but for now he has to deal with his feelings of sadness and anger. Chuck tries to take his mind off things and cheer him up. In the meantime, Sam and Dean have conversations about abandoning fathers and the hunter life, and when Castiel appears and says something about a Reaper, they end up going to the Pie Hole again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for everyone who is reading this (and especially to those leaving kudos and comments), I really appreciate that and nothing makes me happier :)  
> Sorry for the 13 months wait...

"What are you doing here?" Ned was staring at his father, and although he felt many different emotions while seeing him again, his voice didn't show. He could feel his stomach starting to burn and it was slowly creeping up the inside of his chest, but he still managed to put on a poker face.

Chuck stepped closer to Ned, wanting nothing more than to grab and hold his hand. Just in that moment Ned's father averted his eyes from his son, looking at Chuck instead. Something lit up in his eyes when he started to recognize the somewhat familiar face. "Charlotte?" he asked and squinted, a hint of a smile on his lips.

But Chuck didn't return the smile. She felt very uncomfortable all of a sudden, still not as uncomfortable as Ned, though. Also her heart was still beating very fast, and as every second went by, she felt more and more disappointed that it wasn't her own father standing in front of her. In a way she felt betrayed, but she didn't want to show it.

"You're still with Ned. I never expected to see you two together again," Ned's father said and smiled. It was not clear if he really meant it or if he just wanted to say something in order to make the situation a bit less awkward.

"You've got to be kidding me," Emerson mumbled and rolled with his eyes.

Sam and Dean were very confused and looked from Ned and Chuck to the man and back again, trying to comprehend what was happening.

"Why are you here?" When Ned asked this, he could hardly look his father into his eyes. Suddenly, he was nine years old again, watching his father wander off after having been told that he "will be back".

"I want to talk with my son, of course," his father answered, and he sounded rather cheerful what felt very odd. He even opened his arms as if he was offering a hug.

"I don't want to talk." Ned swallowed and tried his best not to look his father into his eyes. Ever since he had sleepless nights at the Longborough School for Boys, he had thought at least once a day of what he would say to his father if he ever met him again. Of course, after that one Halloween night when he saw his father's new family, he didn't feel the need to talk to him anymore. And anyway, what would you even say to your father who abandoned you after your mother died?

"Ned, I'm sorry," was all Norman said when he moved a bit closer, but Ned immediately backed away.

"You don't mean that." Ned sounded despondent and you could hear that he was trying to hide the fact that he held back the tears. "I don't want to hear any of your lies ever again."

Norman swallowed and looked at Chuck. "I really am sorry." His eyes showed concern and regret, but Chuck was conflicted. All the evenings that Ned had spent in his room, sometimes crying, sometimes just silently staring at the wall, whenever Chuck had seen him like this, she cursed the fact that she couldn't touch him. There was nothing she wouldn't have done to just wrap Ned into her arms and tell him that it's okay, he will get better. And right now she was standing in front of the man who had caused all this, and he said he's sorry?

"You're a bit late, don't you think?" Chuck said just loud enough for him to hear, and she could feel Ned tensing next to her.

At this point, Sam and Dean decided to leave them alone and they went back to the Impala. Emerson had followed them and was now walking up and down the street in front of the house, his arms hanging loosely by his side. From time to time, he put his hand up to his face to pinch the bridge of his nose.

"I can't really follow what just happened, but I'm just relieved that it's not a demon," Sam said. Dean nodded and opened the door to the driver's seat to sit down.

After a couple of minutes Ned and Chuck walked out of the house, straight towards the car. Chuck silently opened the door to the back seats, Ned waited for Emerson to sit down in the middle. When everyone was in the car, Dean started the engine and drove back to the Pie Hole, nobody saying a word.

* * * * * *

When the Impala stood in front of the Pie Hole, Ned, Chuck, and Emerson got out of the car. "Thank you for driving us, I really appreciate it and hope you're not too disappointed that you saw no ghosts," Ned said after Dean had wound down the window.

"It's alright, don't worry," Sam replied and Dean nodded reassuringly. Ned smiled thankfully and slowly clapped against the window frame before turning around. Chuck lifted up her hand to wave, and Dean stepped on the gas.

"Good night, Emerson," Chuck said, went to the door and got out her keys.

Ned looked at Emerson, unsure of what to say, but then Emerson put his hand on his shoulder and squeezed. "Don't let it get to you, Ned," Emerson said quietly, and Ned could see in his eyes that he really meant it.

"I won't." Ned pressed his lips together and there was a hint of a smile on his lips when Emerson squeezed his shoulder again before he left, knowing fully well how much Ned despised physical contact, but he just had to show him his concern.

Ned followed Chuck to their apartments. "Do you want to talk about it?" Chuck asked before she opened the door to Olive's and her apartment, but Ned shook his head. "I'm here for you when you change your mind."

"I know," Ned answered, getting his own keys out of his pocket. "Thank you, Chuck," was all he could say, and he would have loved to kiss her, but due to a series of unfortunate events, all he could do was smile weakly but lovingly at her before entering his apartment. He waited until he heard Chuck's door clicking shut before he sighed loudly and leaned his back against the door. Seconds later he couldn't stop the tears from streaming down his face, no matter how hard he tried to resist them.

* * * * * *

Dean had parked in front of their hotel and the brothers went silently into their room. Somehow they were both affected by what happened at Ned's old home.

"Just one thing: what is it with fathers?" Dean asked, getting out of his jacket and throwing it on a chair.

"In general or–"

"Why do they always abandon their kids?" It was probably more of a rhetoric question, but Dean still hadn't forgiven John for what he had done to Sam and himself. And when Norman stood in front of Ned, he couldn't help but imagine what it would be like to ever stand eye to eye with John again.

"I don't know," Sam answered, also getting out of his jacket and taking off his shoes. He took a look at his watch – it was almost midnight. Although he was very tired, he remembered his and Dean's earlier conversation in the car. "You wanted to tell me why you drove us here, you know."

Dean groaned. "Now?"

"You said so." A loud squeak was audible when Dean slammed himself onto the overly soft mattress. Sam sighed when he sat down on his bed. "Don't do that to me, Dean."

"What?" Dean mumbled into the colorful pillow.

"Just talk to me. What's bothering you?"

"You really want me to talk about what's bothering me?" Dean lifted his head up from the pillow and rested it on his left hand. When Sam raised his eyebrows and opened his mouth to reply, Dean raised his other hand and nodded. "Okay, okay, let's talk." He put himself in an upright position and faced his brother. "I brought us here because I wanted some time off, okay? We've done so much over the past weeks– hell, even months!"

"It's our _job_ , Dean."

"Yeah, I'm aware of that, but when do we ever get some time off?"

"That's the thing with monsters, they don't stop killing and destroying just because it's weekend." Never in his life had Sam thought that he would have this conversation with Dean. In the beginning, it was Dean who had to convince him over and over again that the world needed them. Sam was on the brink of giving him a piece of his mind when he saw how Dean looked at him. It would probably be an exaggeration to say that he looked exhausted and pleading, but... he actually did.

"Sammy–"

"It's okay, Dean, I get it. I could use a break as well." A part of Sam was conflicted because he couldn't escape the feeling that hunters were not allowed to rest, but then again he and Dean had been hunting for, what, 6 years now? After all, they weren't the only hunters out there, so no one could blame them for a short break.

"You know, I don't mind being a hunter, I guess I just have these days."

"It's a good thing that you found that article in the papers, officially we are still on the hunt for that ghost, right?" Sam smiled a bit at that and stood up to go to the bathroom.

"Abandoning fathers do have their advantages sometimes, don't they? And thank god this city turned out to be normal."

Then a _whoosh_ resounded through the room. "I wouldn't be so sure of that."

* * * * * *

"Chuck, is that you?" After Chuck had closed the door, Olive was peeking around the corner, a cup of steaming tea in her hands. The light of the television flickered in the background and engulfed the flower wallpapers in a warm light. "I know you probably won't answer this, but where have you been?"

"Olive–"

"You don't have to tell me if you don't want to, but I just want you to know that I worry about you and you can talk with me about everything, alright?" Chuck lifted her head and looked at Olive, a smile on her lips.

"Thanks," Chuck answered and she put her keys in a small bowl that was standing on the shelf right next to her. She followed Olive into the room and sat down on the couch, taking a moment before she sighed. "Ned is facing a huge problem right now and he could need a little help."

Olive widened her eyes. "He didn't... kill someone, did he?"

Chuck had to laugh. If only... It would be easier to deal with than the actual problem. "No, he didn't. It's– it's a family issue, his father got in touch with him."

A gasp came from Olive. She also knew about the relationship that Ned had with his father (or rather the lack of one), so it was reasonable that she was shocked. "That bastard." Chuck snorted at that, but then she realized that this was justified. "Is Ned home now?" Chuck nodded. "So what are you doing here? He shouldn't be alone now, someone should–"

"He didn't say it out loud, but I think he wants to be left alone for now."

Olive grabbed the remote to mute the television. "Would you want to be left alone?"

"I don't know."

"It's Ned we're talking about." Olive emphasized and pointed with her head to the wall behind her where Ned's apartment was. "He likes to suffer on his own, but I am done with him behaving like a little child–" Olive stopped herself before she got too outraged. Chuck looked devastated, her hands were folded in her lap and her eyes were staring at the ground. What Olive was about to say was something that hurt her heart and she wished that someone would be saying this to her, but she had learned to accept the circumstances, so she lowered her voice when she said, "You have to be with him."

* * * * * *

Sam stopped right in front of the bathroom door to turn around. "Cas?"

Castiel was standing in the middle of the room, looking grumpy and yet adorable as ever. "Hello, Sam." He looked over at Dean. "Dean."

Dean had bolted upright as soon as he had heard the voice that always sounded approximately 5 octaves too deep, give or take. "Cas, where were you? We haven't heard of you for days, man."

"Heaven business, no concern of yours." Castiel started to look around the room, taking in all the colors and flowery-shaped objects. "This room is quite bright and artistic, where exactly are we?"

"In Papen County."

"Never heard of that, but that's of no import. I'm here to inform you about a problem that this city and vicinity is about to have: There is reason to believe that a Reaper is wandering around these streets."

Sam had positioned himself next to the bed that Dean was sitting on. They were both staring at Castiel, not really sure what he was getting at. "But... that's a good thing, isn't it? It's his job to collect souls and show them the way–"

"No, that is the problem: The Reaper doesn't accomplish his tasks, he is reluctant to work. Souls are wandering around this city like nowhere else, and it's starting to get out of hand. I made it my personal task to talk to the Reaper and I saw that you were driving through this city, that's why I'm here."

Dean had looked at the ceiling to think, and when he was sure that he understood what Castiel meant, he nodded and looked back at the angel. "So, you want us to help you get a Reaper back to his work? You sure you couldn't do that on your own?"

Castiel squinted back at him and tilted his head before looking at Sam. "You've accompanied me on many tasks before, so I thought... you..." Sam smirked at the stammering Castiel, and Dean huffed out a laugh. Sometimes Castiel was awkwardness in person, and it was adorable.

"Yeah sure, we'll do it," Dean answered and got up from the bed. He walked over to Castiel and patted his shoulder on the way to the bathroom. "But let us sleep for now, we've had a rough day."

"You were eating pie and went out with some people, how is that considered a rough day?" Dean gaped and looked at Castiel with wide eyes. He couldn't believe how rude– well, actually he could, it was _Cas_.

"How about you stop stalking us and be a bit more independent, huh?" Dean probably sounded a bit rougher than intended, but he couldn't care less. "If you want us to look for the Reaper tomorrow, then let us have our sleep, alright?"

A squint and _whoosh._

* * * * * *

Ned was still leaning against the door when he could feel the knock on the wooden surface. He almost had a heart attack, but Chuck's soft voice quickly calmed him down.

"Ned, I know that you can hear me. I know that you like to cut yourself off whenever you feel like nobody understands you, but I do and I'm here for you." She remembered that her aunt Vivian once told her that best friends are connected by some sort of bond, emotionally and mentally. Chuck and Ned had tried to communicate mentally when they were kids, on more than one evening. They were both supposed to be sleeping, but they were standing in front of their windows, making hand gestures towards the opposite house and trying to read each other's thoughts. Of course it didn't work and that's also when Chuck learned what metaphors are, but she could always feel the bond that she shared with Ned. So right now, as she was standing in front of his door, her hand still resting on the wooden surface after the knock, she knew fully well what went on in Ned's head and heart.

Tears were still welling up in Ned's eyes, and now he could feel a lump in his throat when he heard Chuck's soothing words. Every time he felt too much or feared too much, he had shut himself off and preferred to be alone. After meeting Chuck, this had changed, but only with regard to wanting Chuck's advice during a time in need. And this time right now? It was a time in need, so Ned wiped away the tears with his sleeve, cleared his throat, and turned around to open the door.

And again he cursed the fact that he couldn't hug Chuck. He wanted to wrap his arms around her so badly, and from the look in Chuck's eyes, she wanted to do exactly the same. But instead, Ned stepped aside and closed the door behind her. Chuck sat down on the sofa, Ned sitting down beside her but with a safe distance, obviously.

At first, none of them said a word, they sat there silently and were just relieved by the simple fact that the other was right beside them. From time to time, Ned sniveled and wiped at his eyes. He knew that Chuck was looking at him, he could feel her gaze on his face, but he just stared at his intertwined hands, nervously kneading his knuckles.

Chuck had never seen Ned cry, at least not really, until now. His eyes were red and puffy from all the rubbing, his shoulders slouched more than usual. He looked so broken and betrayed and weary.

"Sorry, I don't mean to be rude, I'm just-" Ned made a gesture with his hand, "disappointed, I guess." It might sound cheesy, but Chuck wished she could wipe away Ned's tears that seemed to never stop rolling down his cheeks.

"You have every reason to be disappointed, Ned, you have a right to be," Chuck answered, her disappointment that the ghost didn't turn out to be her own father slowly fading away and making room for empathy. "Do you want to talk about it?"

Ned shrugged and put his sleeves over his hands, making him look even more insecure. "Not really, at least not right now." He sniveled again and blinked away the last tears. "I'm really tired, so I'd like to go to sleep now."

"You need it," Chuck replied and nodded.

"You can stay here, if you want."

"Okay." Chuck leaned back, grabbed a blanket and waited for Ned to stand up so that she could stretch her legs on the sofa.

"Oh no, you're taking the bed."

"Ned–"

"No, please, Chuck, I insist." He took the blanket from her and didn't leave the sofa. Chuck knew there was no point in arguing, so she smiled thankfully at him and left the room to go to Ned's bedroom.

* * * * * *

Sam woke up first and he turned around in his bed and rested his head on his hands. He had a clear view at Dean, who was lying on his stomach, his arms and hands buried under his pillow. Although Sam was the younger brother, right now he felt the need to take care of Dean. It had always been Dean looking after him, but Sam couldn't look at Dean without being concerned. He actually spent a lot of time thinking about their future, whether they would stay in the hunting business for all their life. And because Sam had gotten a taste of what a "normal" life could be like, he often had the feeling that Dean needed some normalcy in his life. So he was very relieved that Dean had the courage to take some days off, those days were well deserved.

After a while Sam got up to go to the bathroom. They had promised Castiel to help find the Reaper, but before that he wanted to eat a proper breakfast with Dean. When he walked back into the room, Dean was already up and dressed.

"I can't stop thinking about that baker's father, you know," Dean said absent-mindedly.

"Good morning to you too," Sam replied and took some clothes out of his bag.

"It's just so weird, I really thought we would find a ghost or something else. I mean, come on, what sort of creep stays in his old abandoned house just to spy on the neighbors, that's just–" Dean shook his head with a puzzled look on his face.

"I think he was trying to find a way to talk to his son."

"How about just calling him or going to where he lives and knocking on his door like normal people would do?"

"What do you expect, he hadn't seen his son in years. He was scared and didn't know better."

"I still don't see why he stayed in that house and acted like a total creep."

"Dean, why do you care? He turned out to be none of our business, can't you just let it go?"

"No, because I had a thought. What if he _is_ our business but we just didn't know it at that time?"

Sam had confusion written all over his face. "Meaning?"

"What if he's the Reaper that Cas is looking for?"

"That could make sense, I think," Sam answered, considering this possibility.

"That would make a _whole_ lot of sense!" Dean replied with widened eyes.

And Sam thought back to the thoughts that he had earlier in the morning, with Dean needing normalcy. He had thought that Dean would be happier with a more normal life, but now he wasn't so sure about that anymore. No matter how hard he tried, he could probably never let go of his hunter life. It's not like he had a switch to turn off his knowledge about everything supernatural and resulting concern thereof.

This was their life and they were doing just fine.           

* * * * * *

"Are you feeling better this morning?" was the first thing Chuck asked when Ned woke up in the living room. She had prepared a small breakfast with toast and raspberry jam and honey and some vegetables.

"Starting to," he answered, taking in Chuck's relieved smile.

"Good. I made breakfast," Chuck replied and pointed behind her with her head where the kitchen was.

"Thanks, I'll be right there." Ned stretched his arms and legs, his joints made tiny creaks after the night on the sofa, but he didn't complain. He'd give up his bed for Chuck anytime. He went into his room to get changed after a visit to the bathroom, and then he joined Chuck in the kitchen for a nice, little breakfast that cheered him up a bit.

After that they went into the Pie Hole together. It felt good to be at a place where Ned felt at ease and where he could do what he loved after everything that had happened the night before. He put on his apron and breathed in the air that smelled like dough and lots of fruit and cream when he walked into the kitchen.

Chuck was standing behind the counter and got one of her favorite cup-pies out of the fridge (lemon raspberry) and poured herself a cup of coffee.

Olive turned up a few minutes later and smiled sympathetically at Chuck. She tilted her head and pressed her lips together when she approached Chuck.

"Is everything alright?" she asked, put a hand on Chuck's shoulder and squeezed lightly.

"He's coping," Chuck replied and turned around to look into the kitchen. Olive followed her gaze and for a few seconds they both looked at Ned who was kneading dough like any other day.

"So, his dad is back?" Olive asked, sounding casual. She was still staring at Ned, the man who would never harm a fly, and that's why it was so hard to see him suffer.

"It's taken him so many years to come to terms with himself and to accept what his father did and he could finally stop worrying and blaming himself for what happened to his family, and just then his father decides to come back." Although Chuck spoke silently, Olive could feel the anger that Chuck felt for Ned's father. And of course she started to get angry, too, she really cared about Ned and couldn't believe the brass neck his father had to simply walk back into his life as if nothing had happened.

"I guess he's avoiding to talk about it?" Olive asked, wanting to wrap Ned into her arms and squeeze the visible sadness out of him.

"He–" The doorbell interrupted Chuck, which made the two women turn around. At the sight of the person entering the Pie Hole, Chuck huffed and shook her head. "I guess that's not up to him."

* * * * * *

Sam and Dean went to the same place they went the day before to get some lunch, and they sat down in a corner to get some breakfast. Sam ordered scrambled eggs with toast and bacon, and Dean waffles with custard and hot cherries, what earned an eye roll from Sam (but he had stopped telling Dean to have a proper meal for once a long time ago).

"Can you imagine what our lives would be like if we weren't hunters? We would be at home right now, sitting at a proper breakfast table, with eggs and bacon and cheese and fresh orange juice–"

"You don't even like orange juice," Sam interrupted Dean with a smile.

"Maybe my wife does." This turned Sam's smile into a frown for a few seconds when he couldn't help but think about what his life would have been like with Jess. No matter how many years it's been, he still could remember what it was like to wake up next to her, and he would have loved to do nothing more than exactly that, but… he's here now. And he feels, he _knows_ that he's meant to be here, so he stopped wondering and made the best of it.

"Maybe your husband does," Sam replied with a raise of his eyebrows that he knew made Dean even madder.

"Shut up." Right then the waitress appeared with two steaming plates that she put down in front of the brothers, and Dean made sure to smile extra broadly at her and also gave her a wink. "Thanks."

Sam just shook his head and took his fork and knife, keen to eat a decent looking and delicious smelling breakfast. Dean already had the first bite of waffles in his mouth, and his carefree grin lifted Sam's mood immensely.

"You know that breakfast is the most important meal of the day?" Sam asked after a while.

Dean just grunted and took another bite of his waffle, which turned out to be one of the best, softest waffles he had ever eaten, and he was on the verge of ordering a second plate when he had to think of the Pie Hole and all the pies that were just waiting for him. "But pie is just as important."

"How can you think of pie right now? You're eating breakfast, well, sort of," Sam replied with a gesture towards the waffles.

"Let's just go and eat some pie later, I haven't tried their pecan yet."

"Sure." Sam finished the scrambled eggs and looked forward to the bacon (his favorite). For the rest of the breakfast they sat there silently, none of them saying a word. Dean was the first one to finish his plate, and he sat back with a satisfied smile on his lips. When Sam had finished his toast, he grabbed his napkin and freed his mouth from all the crumbs.

Dean had put on a curious expression and he was thinking. "Wouldn't it be funny if the baker's father turned out to be the Reaper?"

"Funny?" Sam raised his eyebrows and frowned, that would definitely not be his definition of funny.

"Yeah, a funny coincidence. It would still be weird, though, because why is he here? I thought Reapers are very strict and follow their orders, but this Reaper obviously neglects his work, no matter what the consequences are."

"If it really is Ned's father, then his son seems to be the reason that he's doing all this."

"Why don't we head back to the Pie Hole later and then we can ask them?"

"And conveniently get some pie as well, huh?" Sam smirked knowingly (he would never admit that he's also keen on trying some other pies from the Pie Hole, but shh).

"That's my intention," Dean answered, and he waved the waitress over so that he could pay.

They decided to take a walk in the park that was on the other side of the street, because it was really nice and sunny and they rarely have time for walks. It felt strange for both of them to just walk around and not having to think of hunting for a change, and they even sat down on a bench. They both felt very peaceful to hear some kids playing soccer on a field and Sam was very happy about all the barking dogs that ran by.

"Enjoying your time?"

"Cas!" Sam half-shouted, startled by the sudden appearance of the angel behind them. "Do you think it's possible that you could just approach us slowly like any other normal person?"

"I don't see why that is necessary," Castiel replied in his monotonous voice.

Dean rolled his eyes. "Yeah, that's because you're not a normal person," he muttered, but both Sam and Castiel understood him clearly.

There was a bit of awkward silence as Castiel was just standing motionless behind the two men, but then Sam cleared his throat and he stood up.

"Should we go to the Pie Hole now, Dean? And then we can help Cas."

"The Pie Hole?" Cas asked, wrinkling his eyebrows. "Is that the place that looks like a giant pie?" Sam and Dean nodded. "I might as well accompany you then, I saw the Reaper entering it this morning."

* * * * * *

"I'm here to talk with my son," Norman said when he stood in front of the counter, but of course Ned had already noticed him. He wiped his hands on a towel and got nearer to the door but he never actually left the kitchen.

"I don't want to talk," Ned replied, sounding as harsh as the night before.

Norman took his hat off his head and held it in his hands, and it looked like he was clinging to it. Was he nervous? It seemed like it, and both Olive and Chuck noticed that. "Ned, I've been wanting to talk with you for years, so please give me a chance. I know I don't deserve one–"

"True," Ned said, unimpressed.

Norman huffed and lowered his head, his fingers kneading the rim of his hat. "Please, there is something really important that I need to tell you, something you deserve to know."

Now, Ned was a curious person by nature, but he usually held back when there was danger close by. But he felt like he owed it to his younger self who had so many questions and had gotten no answers in return, but now he might get them, so that's the only reason why he said, "Okay."

They both sat down in the booth in the corner, and Ned had never believed that he would sit face to face with his father in his Pie Hole, let alone see him again, and now here he was. The questions that he had for his father ever since he left were crossing his mind and then there was only one left: why? He would have loved to just confront his father, but he couldn't find the right words.

"Ned, there is something I wanted to tell you since you were a little boy, but I always felt like you were too young. There was no reason to burden you with this sort of thing, so I waited for the right time and then ended up not telling you at all, and I'm sorry about that. I'm sorry I left you at a time that you needed your father the most, and I understand if you can never forgive me."

These were the words that Ned wanted to hear when he was a child. He could feel them reach his head, but they didn't reach his heart. "You know what's so funny about all this?" He finally spoke up, but he didn't laugh and his father understood that he meant it in the _I can only laugh about how ridiculous this is!_ sort of way. "For the first couple of months after you deserted me in that school I believed that you would come back, tell me that it's all been a mistake and you'd take me back home."

"I'm sorry, Ned, I–"

"No, you're not," Ned interrupted him, feeling a sudden surge of anger and pain in his chest and adrenaline rushing through his body, giving him the temporary courage to speak out to his father. "I was nine years old. _Nine_ , and mom was gone. What kind of father does this to his son? And I was too naïve to believe that you would come back. Do you have any idea how many times I went to the school chapel to pray that you would?"

Norman didn't answer and he shook his head, his eyes not leaving Ned's. Under other circumstances Ned would have a hard time maintaining eye contact, especially with his father, but at this very moment he somehow managed it.

"For months I believed that it was my fault that you left, that you abandoned your family and home, and when I got your postcard I thought I could never be sadder. Turns out I was wrong." He was fighting hard to hold back his tears as his memories of that Halloween night came back and with them lots of hurt and pain. No matter how heartbroken Ned was, he wanted to leave this conversation with his dignity intact, he didn't want to cry in front of his father.

Norman was visibly taken aback – or he was an incredibly good actor, Ned still couldn't fully believe him. In fact, he doubted that he would ever be able to forgive his father, no matter how many apologies or explanations he would offer. "Ned–"

"It's not just about me." You could tell by how many times Ned interrupted his father how furious he was inside. "I've met them, Maurice and Ralston. Have you apologized to them, too?"

"That's a whole different story," Norman tried to defend himself, but not today, not with Ned.

"Oh really? I think it's quite similar, let's see: A son has a nice and happy life with his mom and dad and then one day everything changes and the kid is left alone after a vanishing trick, but with the belief that his dad would be back, what was a lie. Isn't that right?"

"Except for the last part."

Ned shook his head. "I don't think that twenty years later counts." He pressed his lips together and clenched his fists. He was suddenly alarmingly aware of the time that he had to live without a family, which was the most miserable time he ever had. When he found his passion for baking pies, the rollercoaster that was his life started to go uphill again. And when he found Chuck and touched her, he thought that this was the highest the rollercoaster would ever go, but he was wrong. Every day that he spent with Chuck was a day he felt on top of the world. And he admitted to himself that he had his own family now, and that he doesn't need his father anymore. "I don't need you anymore."

"Son–"

"Don't. Don't call me that." And with these words Ned stood up.

* * * * * *

"So, what do you know about the Reaper?"

"He used to collect souls mainly from around this area, but a couple of weeks ago he stopped all of a sudden and now there are a lot of souls waiting to be collected and guided," Castiel explained matter-of-factly.

"Are they just walking around town or what?" Dean asked.

"They are lost, yes. Not everyone can find the light by themselves." The three of them have now left the park and were walking down the street in the direction of the Pie Hole.

"And why doesn't another Reaper just take his place and does the job for him?"

"It's not that simple," Castiel replied. "Every Reaper has his orders, and if only one Reaper doesn't follow them, the natural order of life and death is at stake."

They walked in silence for the next minutes and when they could see the roof of the Pie Hole in the distance, they stopped. For a few seconds, everyone just stared at the building.

"So how exactly are we going to do this?" Sam asked then.

Castiel shrugged. "I never really had to deal with a Reaper like this before, I guess we–"

"I have," Dean interrupted him, and he opened his eyes wide at the memory. "Dealt with Reapers before, I mean, more than once."

Sam nodded. "Tessa."

"And that creepy one, uh, remember the blind man who could heal people?" At the word _heal_ Dean made air quotes. And then he remembered something else. "But I could only see them because I was nearly dead or… dead."

"This one is different," Castiel said, the hint of a frown on his face. "He seems to be completely visible for everyone."

"So are we just going to grab him, sit him down, and talk to him until he goes back to his job?" Cluelessness was written on Sam's face, he really had no idea what to do. And it seemed ridiculous to him to just grab the man and tell him, "You really need to do your job, Reaper."

Castiel shrugged again. "Sounds plausible, let's do that."

Dean raised his eyebrows, not really impressed by Castiel's approach. But of course he would help. "Come on." And he led the small group towards the Pie Hole.

The bell rang when they entered the pie shop and Sam and Dean couldn't help but sniff at the pie-scented air. Dean was hoping that everything would go smooth with the Reaper, so that after dealing with him they could sit down and have a slice of pie. Or four.

Chuck was standing with the blonde woman (who Sam and Dean didn't know the name of) behind the counter, and they both turned their heads towards the door when the bell rang. Olive began to smile at the familiar faces that looked so happy when she served them pie the day before. And Chuck was also happy to see them again, but her smile looked a bit clumsy because she still felt conflicted.

Ned was standing near the booth in the corner, joined by his father who was still sitting down. The ringing bell made them both turn around as well.

"There he is," Castiel whispered, he was standing between Sam and Dean. He was looking into the corner and the expression on his face looked like business, which just made him look grumpy. Dean noticed the change of his expression, and he looked at Norman and tried to see him as a Reaper.

"What are we waiting for?" Sam mumbled and led them towards the corner of the shop.

And then Dean spoke up, "We know who you really are, there's no more need to pretend that you're a normal person!"

Both Norman and Ned looked terrified and flustered. Ned looked quizzically at his father and waited for a reaction, but he remained silent. The three men were still waiting for an answer, they looked angry.

"Don't act like you don't know what you do with the dead," Dean said warningly.

Norman still didn't say a word, but Ned's face turned red and he raised his hands in defense. "Look, I can explain. I never hurt anyone!"

Castiel tilted his head and then shook it. "We weren't talking about you."

Ned's face got even redder and he opened his mouth but no sound came out. The expressions on Sam and Dean's faces turned from anger to astonishment, they were totally taken by surprise.

From behind the counter they heard a gasp, and Chuck quickly put her hand in front of her mouth, and Olive's jaw had dropped. _What you do with the dead people?_ , she thought, repeating the handsome man's words. _That's why he knew what necrophilia is!_ And she could feel a cold shiver running down her back. She had never expected that!

"But–" Ned stammered and lowered his hands. His gaze wandered from the man in the trench coat to his father, who slowly got out of the booth. His head sunken and his gaze back on his hat in his hands.

"Ned, I tried telling you–"

"Wait, wait, wait!" Dean demanded and waved about with his hands. " _What exactly_ can you explain?"

Chuck quietly said, "Oh no" but Ned could hear her and then his eyes met hers. They exchanged some glances in a matter of seconds and then Ned knew that it was time to tell the truth.

He took a deep breath when he said the following. "I can bring dead people back alive again with the single touch of my finger."

Everyone was silent and stunned, only Olive sighed with relief. "Oh thank God."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, just to clarify some things:  
> \- I named Ned's father Norman because his name should start with an 'N' (obviously, just like Charlotte & Charles)  
> \- I'm sorry for portraying him like such a jackass, but it's true (and I would do everything to have a 3rd season in which Ned learns that it was his father who saved him from the cliff... SPOILER!) and it works for the story  
> \- I hope you all like that I put Cas into this story, I think that makes it even more interesting
> 
> That's it for now, I really hope you all liked it and are excited for the next chapter (it won't take a year again to update, I promise).

**Author's Note:**

> As you may guess, this story shouldn't end here and I have a few ideas of how this could go on, so don't be disappointed.
> 
> It's definitely NOT the end yet :)


End file.
